Deterred
by Can'tBeatCandor
Summary: Bright. Willful. Strong. Ugly?
1. Chapter 1

**Deterred**

My heart is broken. Kind of. My life is a little difficult at the moment, and it's pretty hard to fully explain what's going on.

_I came into a private room of the Aphrodite cabin, only the best was reserved for their Captain; Tess. I didn't notice at the time, but her eyes were red from crying, and for once she wasn't wearing makeup. Sitting next to her was Caroline; an Athena girl, Jenna; the only pretty Hephaestus in recorded history, and twin daughters of Poseidon Amanda and Parvati._

_"Where have you all been?" I exclaimed, pulling my damp, black curls into a bun on top of my head. I had just gotten out of the shower. My heart was still racing, although the battle had ended hours ago. "The boys and I went out, why were you all hiding here? Why are you still hiding here? And I couldn't find Luke either, is he here?" I asked obliviously_

_"Luke died during the battle, Aira!" Caroline exclaimed, looking meekly at Tess. Even though her blonde hair had traces of blood and her face was blotchy from crying, Tess was still one of the most beautiful girls I'd ever seen. She was also my adoptive sister, and Luke Castellan's girlfriend._

_"Very funny, Caroline." I smirked at the brunette, "Where is he hiding? And the tears are a nice touch, Tess, but I don't buy them for a minute." I place one hand on my hip. Sure it had been a battle, and sure Luke had been possessed by the spirit of my grandfather/brother; Kronos the Titan of time, but he was Luke. And Luke couldn't die._

_My half-sister Amanda looked up, her eyes as red as Tess's. "We're not kidding, Aira! For Zeus's sake, he killed himself to save the world or some shit. He sent Kronos back to hell, literally, by stabbing himself."_

_I backed into the door, and my knees fell out. "Dead?" I whispered, unwilling to believe he was dead. I thought back to the first time we'd met._

_I'd been around 13 when I'd met the famous Castellan. Bored, I had wondered out of a shopping mall; my sister could literally shop 'til she dropped. She actually had. Twice. Suddenly, I felt a hand go into my back pocket, so I had done what any Princess of a small country would do. I drew my knife and pressed it against the blonde thief's throat. Then, a door creaked open and my shopaholic sister climbed down the steps into the back ally. I wondered how she had found the door, it had taken me 20min of distraction-making and sprinting to finally get into the back room and discover the door._

_"Whoa, whoa, Aira! What are you doing killing random hot guys on the street?" I heard Tess call as she picked her way down the ally in heels far too high for an 11-year-old. I had rolled my eyes and smirked at my younger sister._

_"He tried to rob me." I complained in explanation_

_"No, stop Aira!" she protested, obviously crushing on the thief already. She had a way of falling for things as soon as she saw them. Take this trip for example; she had seen these shoes on a magazine cover from America, and within 2 hours we had taken the jet to New York City with the express purpose of finding and buying them. I had taken a second to puzzle over where our guards were. They knew better than to follow me, but they almost always had a tail on Tess. We were the crown Princesses of Janae; the richest Nation in the world. Unfortunately, the boy took my momentary loss of concentration to knock my knife aside and draw a broadsword, interesting weaponry for your average child thief in New York. More unfortunately, the growl of a monster larger than anything I'd ever dreamed of screamed through the ally._

_"Run?" I heard Tess screech in confusion_

_"RUN!" The boy and had I ordered in unison, turning to flee. Shaking my head to clear the memories, I looked between Caroline and Jenna before falling to the ground._

_"You just fainted." She smirked at me, obviously taking pleasure in my show of weakness. I should take a minute to explain how impossible to faze I am. As a cadet, or daughter of a god and titan, I am nearly impossible to kill. Therefore; I have no real fear of death, and no real fear of anything else either. It probably had something to do with my unconventional upbringing. I was put through the godly foster system by my mother, Gaea, and it was a ride I'll never take again. I spent a year with Athena, 3 with Artemis and somewhere between 6months and a year with Ares. He now has a fear of me. Between those foster parents, my actual father Poseidon, my actual mother; Mother Earth, and my mortal, adoptive father King of Janae, I had an interesting childhood. I was one of only two cadets in the known universe. There were also two lieutenants; basically, boy versions of ourselves. Every cadet has a twin brother, a lieutenant. That's just the way it works._

I rubbed my head as I sat up. My queen sized bed took up most of my Captain's room in the Poseidon cabin. My nightmares were getting worse, and my memory was getting better. Not a good combination. Yawning, I rolled out of bed and got dressed, after all, today was the 1-month anniversary of Luke's death. Even though I was the leader of an army designated to kill him, I still miss that boy. Everybody did. And even though I honestly believe the only real reason he killed himself was to take the credit of saving us all, it was still a brave deed. And there is nothing I respect more than bravery.

Luke had been my first boyfriend, and we'd shared our first kiss together. I touched my lips in remembrance of that night. After we'd fought, and killed, the monster, my sister and I had sent a note to our father and joined Luke's gang. After a few weeks on the road, Luke and I secretly started dating. When we got to camp, we stopped dating, but we had never forgotten our time together.

Annabeth, one of Luke's followers, was one of the brightest girls I'd ever met. And saying as I graduated college at age 9, that was saying something. It ended up being just 4 of us that made it to Camp Half-blood, our fifth member Thalia being turned into a tree just as we arrived. I've always blamed myself for that. If I hadn't been unconscious, I know I could've saved her. Now I had another disaster to blame on myself. If I had just stopped Luke when he began this nonsense, instead of turning it into the ultimate game, he would be alive. I may have pretended that I would kill him when we first met, and several times after that, but I never would have. I never could have.

Even though Luke was a cocky, aggressive bastard, he was more like my brother than my actual twin brother Antinous. Sighing, I brushed my teeth and pulled my wild hair into its usual topknot. Pulling on a pair of dark wash jean shorts and a blue tank top, I walked outside without a glance in the mirror. My two boyfriends could deal with my makeuplessness. Yeah. I have two boyfriends. Deal with it.


	2. Chapter 2

**Deterred**

My favorite belt was looped, as always, through my shorts, and I took comfort in its familiar weight. My belt is no regular belt, and it sure isn't your average accessory. Hanging from it is a holster, with a worn-in leather handle sticking up. At first glance, you would assume it belongs to some sort of knife. You could be right. You could be wrong. When I grab the handle and pull this weapon out of its holster you, will see that it is anything. Anything I needed it to be. A sword, a knife, a gun. Maybe a baseball bat, I chuckled to myself. It didn't matter. Any mundane weapon I required, short of nuclear weapons and rocket launchers, could be summoned with pure willpower. It had been a birthday present from my birth father, Poseidon, when I came to camp. I had barely taken it off since.

I looked to my left and right, watching the world around me as if through a veil. I always had been different; uninterested in being "popular." That was Tess's department, and she ran the camp with a golden, glittery fist. There was a definite popularity triangle at camp, with the few having all the power, and many being nothing more than nameless faces that passed through; year after year.

I'm different. I am more than popular, and less. I am feared, loved and hated simultaneously. I am needed. And everyone knows it. During the attack on Manhattan I wiped out half of Kronos' army **by myself**… You think I'm kidding? Tell that to my bloodstained armor and nightmares. I'm the Cadet of natural disasters; I control land and sea. My godparents are Aphrodite and Morpheus, and from them I obtained more than a few powers. The gods themselves are scared of me; but that doesn't mean they don't exploit my abilities whenever they need a little assistance.

Two hands cover my eyes and before I can react, I hear Jordan's voice whisper in my ear, "Guess who." Jordan is the sweetest boy you could meet, other than his annoying habit of having sex with multiple girls at one time. He holds the current Most Girls At Once Camp Record. We have a running competition at camp, I'm not necessarily proud of it. My other boyfriend, Keegan, holds his own record; Colorful Cursing. I have such good, role model boyfriends.

"Let me think..." I teased, "Could it be Charley?" I mentioned his fellow Football Buddy. The Football buddies are basically an excuse for all the popular boys at camp to shove each other around and claim to be playing a sport. Sometimes the Aphrodite girls put on some short skirts and "cheer" for the "players." It's truly sickening. I like to pretend I don't usually join in, short skirt and all, cheering for my boyfriends' "team." Jordan is a Nose Tackle, #54, while Keegan plays Defensive Tackle #69. He really has a jersey with 69 on it. Luke _was_ the quarterback, but now that he is dead, nobody feels like playing. It's almost a relief. I guess every cloud has its silver lining.

"Hmm… is it Hunter?" I mention Jordan's half-brother playfully.

"Nope, you're on your last guess." He whispers, gently sticking his tongue in my ear.

"Ew! Jordan!" I complain, breaking free of his hands and spinning to face him, "What was that for?" I ask with a pouty face, thinking about how much fun I'd have stabbing him. I decide against it. Even though he was immortal; the child of Apollo and some minor goddess of beauty nobody had ever heard of (Aglaea maybe?) the knife would still hurt him. I kiss him instead, figuring his tongue would be better used in my mouth than in my ear. I pressed my naturally red lips into his, parting them slightly to allow his naughty tongue access.

"I love you." I heard Jordan whisper into my lips, and I thought about saying it back. But I keep thinking about everything. About Luke. I didn't even like him, but I knew it was my fault. I could've saved him. _You should've been there, Aira,_ I think for the umpteenth time. God, he was stupid. Luke should've known not to make deals with the devil, and I should've just taken the whole thing seriously.

_The Princess Andromeda really was a beautiful ship. And I was lounging next to my sister on the deck of her boyfriend's cruise ship, even though they, along with everyone else on this ship, were on the wrong side of this war. I was going to crush them in battle, but at least I could use their cruise ship until then. It was pretty relaxing, and the boys were cute. After I broke up with my boyfriend Chris Charlie Duncan, he had gotten pretty stalker-y. Really. It was pretty bad. But I was strong enough to deal with his flowers, lover-letters and balloon bouquets. The chocolate was an added bonus. At least on the ship I didn't have to deal with him, as cute as his love was. The sad thing was he was undeniably the most popular boy in camp before I broke up with him. Afterwards… well… it's not nice to gossip._

I blinked my eyes, looking into Jordan's beautiful eyes. He waved his hand in front of my face, "Are you ready for breakfast?" he asked me, knowing that Tess would be there. Neither Tess nor anyone else at camp ever found out that Luke and I dated, but I think she always had a suspicion. She hasn't left her cabin all month, and I'ved been too scared to visit. I mean I'm all for being fearless and untouchable, but I've seen too many of her temper tantrums growing up to have any desire to be near her. But even I know it's time to see her now. It's past time. I haven't seen her since the sleepover; and most of that had been spent passing around chocolate while "not crying." I just don't cry. Never have. Probably never will, but I guess we'll see.


	3. Chapter 3

**Deterred**

I look down to my phone as I walk to the Aphrodite cabin. Tess was hosting a prep party as her pre-birthday get together. Just as I press the lock button, it goes off. Before checking caller ID I press the phone to me ear, "Aira speaking."

"Hey, Sister." The voice of my twin brother stops me in my tracks,

"What do you want, Anti?" I practically snarl nto the phone, the last time we'd met I'd almost killed him. Or he'd almost killed me. Depends on which side of the story you were on.

_I could see spots dance before my eyes as I let the poorly armed followers of Luke tie my wrists behind me. Percy, Annabeth, Rachel and Caroline thought about struggling, but decided to go calmly. They knew I could've taken out everyone, including the dragon, but if I wasn't struggling they could tell I had a plan. Raising my head to Aphrodite I asked quickly for her blessing, a glamor that would change my appearance into the unthreatening image of one of her daughters. A tingling feeling spread through my body, and I knew she had answered my prayers. We were led into an arena of death. Rows and rows of seats were filled with all sort of mythological creatures from Greece, and in the seats of honor rested Tess, Luke and a very tall black haired boy who bore a strangely striking resemblance to me. The arena was decorated with skulls, and a large banner of Poseidon was draped right below Luke's seat. Percy and I shared a glance, wondering why a banner of our father would be in such a terrible place. I hoped the glamour of Aphrodite would hide my identity from Tess, Luke and my recent ex-boyfriend Mark, who I could see in the stands. I wondered briefly where Tess's brother, my soon-to-be boyfriend was hiding._

_The boy next to Luke stood, and I saw he must have been close to 7ft tall, if not taller. The two boys conversed about battle plans as Luke introduces Percy, my disguise had apparently worked. Suddenly, a loud voice echoed through the now silent arena, "A son of Poseidon, then he shall fight well or die well!" He called, jumping from his seat in the stands and landing in the arena with a thud._

_Percy was shoved forward to meet our half-brother, after selecting his weapon. The two sons of Poseidon argued over who was the favorite, while I bit my tongue, knowing our father favored me most of all. Finally, the tall boy called out, "I am a child of Gaea and Poseidon! What lowlife mortal was your mother?" He sneered at Percy. Oh no, I thought, my mind pushing into hyper-drive. If we share parents, he must share my powers. Rushing forward I easily broke free from my rope bondage and grabbed a sword from the waist of my guard, who stood blinking as I charged Percy, knocking him to the side, and to safety. With a glare I turned to face the twin brother I never knew I had, letting my glamour fall off as I sent a quick prayer of thanks to my godmother Aphrodite. He really did look like me. His green-as-grass eyes and curly black hair were the same shade as my own, and I could tell by his muscled arms that he was as skilled in weapons as I was, this fight was going to be tough. As our swords met I looked into his eyes and knew that it was a good thing I'd pushed Percy aside. Antinous was a killer, like me._

I shook my head, trying to clear out the memories. Again. Hell, my life was more interesting than some of the god's own lives… And I'm not even exaggerating; take my dating life for example.

First of all, I have two boyfriends. They really hate each other. One of them is my adoptive sister's twin brother Keegan. I met him when he tranquilized and kidnapped me just before the Battle of the Labyrinth. But that's a whole different story. My other boyfriend you've already met, Jordan. He was so proud of his godly status; until Tess and I showed up with our Cadet-ness. Let's not forget that I dated him when I was 14, too. He and I never truly broke up the first time, just kind of stopped dating. I guess that's why he was never hit with the curse. Which reminds me; there is one more thing I should explain. It's about my boyfriends, or my ex-boyfriends to be exact. They all start out like sexy, funny and generally attractive guys, but I've been cursed. If I break up with anyone, they spend their lives trying to win me over, becoming little more than an abused-looking lapdog. It's fairly pathetic. Luckily for mankind, I've only broken up with 2 guys so far, Chris when I was 17, and Mark (a boy I dated on Luke's cruise ship) when I was 18.

Anti's voice zaps me back to reality.

"I'm so happy to hear from you, too!" he teases, giving himself a falsetto that was probably meant to sound girly. It didn't.

I sigh dramatically into the phone, "What do you want, Antinous my favorite twin brother. How may I help you?"

"That's more like it. Can you pick me up?"


	4. Chapter 4

**Deterred**

My silver convertible screeches to a halt as I jam the breaks and pull up before the train station. "Ready?" I called to my scared-looking brother who stands on the platform. I didn't blame him for his fear, my driving is famous. And not famously good. I take off before he's shut the door, swerving to avoid pedestrians and letting the top down to feel the wind in my long, tangled curls. "So... What's up?" I yell at him over the rush of wind. He yells something back, but I can honestly say I have no idea what it was. We drive in silence until we arrive back at camp, and the party had already officially started. I hop out of my car easily, waiting for him to stumble out and onto his knees before shrinking the car to a miniature version of itself, clipping the mini car onto my keychain.

"Are you ready for the Party of the Ages?" I smirk at my nearly-nauseous brother. I really should've taken Driver's Ed at some point… But hey, even I'm not perfect.. Just kidding... I am perfect… On another note, I turn back to Antinous, "Ready?" he looks up from his knees, obviously struggling to breathe. I just smirk at him and clipp my keychain back onto my belt, then saunter back into camp. I have better things to do than wait for my a**hole twin brother.

Walking quickly, I breeze into my private Captain's room of the Poseidon Cabin. I'd describe it here, but I don't have to words to describe its beauty. I undo my belt and pull it out, hanging my favorite accessory over my nightstand. Slipping out of my probably too-tight jean shorts I hear a noise upstairs and groan inwardly, if it's Percy bringing Annabeth over,_ again_, I swear I'm going to shoot them both and claim it was an accident. Quickly, I yank my orange Camp Half-Blood t-shirt over my head and root around in my closet for a dress, or something, to wear to Tess's party. Tess supposedly had something planned, but that was at her place, and I was supposed to have been there over an hour ago. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to matter that I didn't show up.. she sent the dress to me.

Rolling my eyes at a shorter-than-short sparkly number that was definitely not mine, but was my size, I knew before reading the attached note why it was there.

_Aira, where the hell are you? The party already started and god da*nit why aren't you here to support your little sister? Oh yeah, wear this pretty please?_

_Luv ya (sometimes)_

_XOXO -Tess_

Reaching to take the glittering nightmare off of its hanger, strong hands wrap around my barely-covered backside and pull me away from the closet. I would've killed my assailant, but I could smell_ 'Vegas by Playboy'_ cologne, and only one boy at camp wore that. Before we reached the bed, he spun me to face him, then leaned me across the bed and lay down on top. "Hey." Keegan whispered in his darkly seductive tone. No one should legally be as hot as my boyfriend. His blonde hair matched his sun kissed skin in a way that would melt any straight girl's heart. His crystal blue eyes were mirror images of his sister's, and his biceps were bigger than _my_ natural biceps. Because I'm blessed by Aphrodite, I usually chose to hide my muscles, but nothing was hotter than a strong guy. As long as he wasn't too muscular... That just looks weird.

"Happy birthday." I whisper to my adoptive sister's twin brother, before he silences me with a kiss that literally could've set my hair on fire. Keegan's godfather Hephaestus had blessed him with fire powers. Sometimes they go haywire. I've learned to deal with my bed catching fire in the past year I've known Keegan.

_3 nights before Percy was planning on going into the labyrinth, Tess showed up out of the blue. Because she's immortal, nobody could stop her as she sexily stalked over the green hill and straight through camp. Blowing kisses and waving as if she couldn't hear the muttering calls of "traitor," "killer's girlfriend," "airhead b*tch," she continued to walk right up to my cabin door. Before she could knock, I swung open the door and pulled her inside. Amanda looks up from her 'Glamour' magazine. "Tess?"_

_"Yes, it's Tess. Go." I look into Amanda's eyes, and she understands. "Tell my traitor sister I say hi." She whispers at Tess as she exits the cabin. The boys are on their side of the cabin; William was teaching Percy how to properly kiss a girl. *shudder.* _

_"Why are you here, Tess?" I ask once we're alone in my room. _

_"Can't a girl come sleepover with her favorite co-ruler of a small country?" Tess asks innocently, blinking her beautiful eyes slowly. I raise my eyebrows in a sure show that I don't believe her for an instant, and Tess rolls her eyes. "Fine, Aira. Luke and I are fighting; can't I just stay here for the night?" _

_"Whatever, Tess." I laugh, "Want me to invite the girls… Or at least the girls who didn't abandon all that thy knew was true just to fit in with the popular crowd? Maybe Caroline?" I tease._

_Tess smirks back and holds up her phone, "Caroline it is." She announces, dialing our somewhat mutual friend._

I open my eyes and kiss Keegan back, with varying intensity. I wonder if he even realizes I had gone on a flashback to the night before I met him. Probably not. "As much fun as this is, can I get dressed now?" I snarkily murmur into Keegan's mouth. "We can make out at the party, I promise."

Keegan and I hold hands as we walk through the falling snow to his sister's birthday party. I mean, it was his too, but nobody ever called it Keegan's party. Tess was the Queen of Popularity, and Keegan was the King, but this was a Matriarchy. Tess ruled. I close my eyes and look up at the moon before going inside. "Merry Christmas, Dad." I whisper at the sky, hoping he can hear me. Nobody celebrates Christmas at camp, the holiday falls on Tess and Keegan's birthday. And we all know who's more important to campers.


	5. Chapter 5

_**Authors note: I'm sorry for the short chapter; I've been having writers block. Thank you for your continued support. Remember to leave me comments. I like comments ;)**_

**Deterred**

I show up at the party in the dress Tess had picked out. The blue silk bodice was covered in sparkly rhinestones, with one thick strap covering my left shoulder. Under the bosom a teal blue chiffon stripe that divided the dress into two parts. The skirt was a matching blue-tulle poof that swung around to my knees, with glitter entwined in every layer. I absolutely hate it. Unfortunately, I appear to be the only one who feels that way. Keegan keeps telling me I looked almost as amazing in the dress as I do in nothing. I'm not sure, but I think that was a compliment.

He holds my hand loosely in his as we walk, neither of us really want to face the party. We all know how it will end. One of Keegan's half-sisters will get her heart broken by Charlie (the only popular child of Athena, although he usually pretends to be an Apollo) Tess would open all her presents then sneak off to make-out with some boy. And the rest of us will get somewhat drunk, break stuff, and generally pretend to have a good time. Sometimes I think that's all they do. All the "popular kids." The lucky ones who are graced with beauty and charm instead of brains and brawn. Not that I'd trade any of my powers for their air-headed lives, but I do wonder how it would feel to have my biggest concern be the color of my shoes. I stop suddenly, and Keegan turns to face me. Without asking, he seems to know what to do. He pulls me close and kisses the tip of my nose, wrapping his arms around me.

_It was getting late, and Caroline had long ago found a corner of my room to snore in. Tess and I stayed up discussing anything but battle plans; we knew that would only lead to fighting. When Tess's eyes could hardly stay open, and my own were already closed, the door opened quietly, and three darts buried themselves into our arms. A smirking blonde-haired boy held the dart-gun. _

Keegan pulls back from me, raising my head to meet his, "What's wrong?" he asks me seriously, his voice low.

"Nothing." I sigh, thinking back to Luke. To the battle. To the dead things whose cries I can still hear. "I'm fine."

Keegan smiles slightly, even though he knows I'm lying. "Oh, really? Then I guess we should get to the party." He smirks.

_I woke up with a gag in my mouth, ropes around my wrists, and shackles attaching my ankles to Tess and Caroline's. I was in the back of a moving truck. Caroline's eyes were already open, and they met mine as soon as I moved. Within moments, I felt Tess shift and blink slowly, letting her eyes adjust to the bright light of the sun. Her pupil's dilated in shock as she felt the rough fabric in her mouth. She tried to spit it out. It didn't work. _

I shake my head to clear my memories. Again. Remembering how Keegan had kidnapped the 3 of us and brought us to Luke in the back of a truck will not do me any good. I would just think about Luke.

Luke who I never loved.

Luke who could actually put up a fight.

Luke who my sister loved.

Luke who more-than-half of camp loved.

Luke who was my first kiss.

Luke who was my first boyfriend.

Luke who was the first **true** person I ever met.

Luke who was dead.


	6. Chapter 6

**Deterred**

The party was long over and 4 months had passed before we had more problems. My sister, ever the Princess, had made herself a new Prince out of my twin brother. He always was a fool; but at least he pleased Tess and let us all forget. Or if not forget, then at least he allowed us to move on.

But I guess the Gods willed it to be otherwise, because they claimed my brother as theirs to command and sent him away. Tess was inconsolable. Less so than Luke's death, but this time her sorrow was tempered with rage.

Rage with her mother; the Goddess Aphrodite for the pains of love.

Rage with herself; for allowing herself to get hurt. Again.

Rage with Antinous; for leaving her.

Rage with the all Gods of Olympus; for ordering him away.

Mostly, she raged within a whirling battle between blaming herself, and blaming Luke for all her pain. She let nobody close, and refused to show us her pain. But it was there. You could see it through the cracks in her hard plastic shell. She tried so hard to pretend. But there was no hiding it this time.

If Barbie was made to be **Beautiful **and **Perfect**; what happened when Barbie broke? Did she become worthless? When her smooth skin shattered from drop after drop, was she still **Perfect**? Questions without answers haunted me all night. Vision's of Tess crying, eyes red. Amanda's smeared eyeliner. Jenna's un-color-coordinated shoes.

Dream after dream I relived the battle of Manhattan. I relieved the death. The pain. The wounds that healed only because of what I am.

A Cadet; how _magical._ How _wonderful._ I almost laughed, and would have if I wasn't standing silently by myself near 3am by the lake. Laughing would just seem too creepy, even for me.

I knew what they called me behind my back. I know what I really am. An unwanted mix between Gods and Titans. A breed unknown before me; and certainly not to be repeated. A mistake.

I grit my teeth as I pulled a sword from my belt. There are battles to be fought and won; friends to beat in training. I don't have time to waste worrying about Tess; she worries about herself enough. She worries about herself _more_ than enough actually, though that was a problem for another time.

I hear a cabin door slam shut nearby. Lazily I turn on my rock, just able to make out Jordan's outline as he exits the Apollo cabin. He sees me immediately, and walks over. "Hey." He yawns at me, obviously tired. "What are you doing out here?"

I smirk at him and hop off my rock, coming closer to him. "Just…. Thinking…" I explain slowly, looking around the lakeside. I guess he had reason to wonder... it was 3am. "What are you doing awake?" I ask

Jordan smiles back at me, "I had a dream about you being all alone, and I came to find you." As a child of Apollo he had slight powers of prediction; he could foresee some events, and his dreams often came true. He pulls me into a hug and squeezed. "I couldn't let _that_ happen." He teases.


	7. Chapter 7

_**Authors Note: Sorry if this chapter isn't very exciting.. it's really build-up for the twin story "Promises" by Queenbee19. I hope you enjoy it anyway :) Please leave comments so I know what you like/don't like and any ideas you have for where the story is going.**_

**Deterred**

"Char-lie! Charlie! Charlie-Charlie-Charlie!" Tess giggled. She always did hide her emotions well. That was before Charlie saw my face. He sets Tess down quickly. "Charlie?" she asks, confused. Then she turns and sees me. She freezes.

"Aira? What's up?" Let's clarify something. You already know I don't cry; but there's more to it than that. I don't whine. I don't complain. I don't get scared. I don't experience fear. And I _don't _get worried.

"It's Luke." I started cautiously, watching her face.

"What about…Luke?" she manages, as the life drained out of her face. _Crack_. **_Crack_**. Barbie was breaking… Again.

"Well, he never was the smartest guy." I mutter under my breath before meeting her eyes again. "Zander just called me from the Underworld. Luke's got himself in a bit of trouble." Zander was another one of Tess's half-brothers, and a huge pain in my ass. He was the son of Hades and Aphrodite, and the God of Sex and Manipulation. He was very hot, but not quite my type.

Tess stares at me blankly, as if she's forgotten who I am and how to talk. I decide to continue. "He tried to sleep with Persephone, and now Hades is more than pissed off. There's a fight going on, and Luke's not winning. He needs us...Well actually," I smirk, "he needs_ my_ help, but you should come for moral support." Even if she's an emotional wreck, I am

going to be honest; I am and always will be more useful than Tess in a fight.

"So you and I are going to go to the Underworld. And we're going to see Luke. And then we are going to try to fight his way out of eternal punishment?" Tess tried to confirm that she was thinking the same insane thought I was.

"Yeah and I would say we should go right about now. Before he gets killed... Again..." I shrugged. Then of course, Zander appeared. Shadow Travel. He has sexy black hair and big blue eyes.

"Yeah I guess you're right. I'll just run and change." Tess said as Zander arrived. She looked down to her shorter-than-short shorts and sparkly t-shirt.

"Nope, we've gotta go _right _now." Zander says as he grabs my arm, which is _not_ ok with me. His hands are always cold… probably the effect of being Hades' son. As his other hand found Tess's arm we Shadow Traveled, but not before I wink goodbye to Charlie. We have a thing going. Then again, every girl in camp has a "thing" with Charlie.

Let me be the first to warn you; Hell is no pretty place. Even Hades' Castle, arguably the prettiest thing in hell, is still fairly scary. And that is coming from me; the fearless daughter of Poseidon and Gaea.

The clash of metal on metal grabbed my attention, and I turned to my left. _Oh, Gods, Luke…_ I thought to myself, wondering how stupid a person could possibly be. According to Luke, _very _stupid. I hear Tess gasp as she spots him, and feel her stagger back against Zander.

"Stay here." I warn, pulling a two-handed Great Sword from my magic holster. "I'm here to save your dead ass, Luke!" I use as my battle cry. "You better be damn grateful…" my muttering is cut off as the celestial bronze of my sword meets Hades' staff with a clang. Luke took this opportunity to stab Hades in the foot. Because that is helpful. The God of the Underworld cries in pain and slashes his staff at Luke's head. He hit. Luke flies back 20 feet and crashes into a door on the other side of Hades' great hall. I roll my eyes and lift my sword, meeting the staff half-way to my own head. Ducking sideways I narrowly miss getting smacked in the side, and manage to slash at Hades' chest. A trickle of Golden Blood ran down his ribs, and Hades falls to his knees. He never was good at fighting.

I pointed my sword at the God's neck. "Hey, Hades." I smile at him cheerfully. "What have you been up to?" I ask innocently.

He swears and rolls his own eyes. "Protecting my wife from unruly ghosts… fighting little girls and losing... The usual." He smiles at me. If there was one thing about Hades I liked, it was his sense of humor. He actually had one.

"So.. I do believe Tess has a few requests… but I'm personally done here. Have a good day." By this point in time, Luke has managed to make his way back, although a nasty lump on his head was already growing. "Zander? Take me home?" I ask, anxious to get away. As I said; Hell never really was my favorite place to visit.


	8. Chapter 8

**_Sorry about this weird poem... It's about Aira and her struggles against Luke Castellan. Please leave me comments about what direction to go in with this story... :)_**

There's a fire burning

somewhere deep inside

the water's a facade

but I'm forced to hide

I can't fight what isn't there

I'm trying to be free

help me through this darkness

help to reveal the real me

I'm strong and I kick a**

but will my story last?

he gets called a hero

I'm looked past

There's a brawl brewing

I feel it in my soul

I'll be there in the middle

winning's my only goal

I've never lost in all my love

your welcome to give it a go

Be warned that if I win

you'll be stooped low

But how can I fight Death itself

I did it and I won...

But I'm not the Victor

he takes all the fun

Why is it that he who was mine

that I don't want

takes all from me

and then has the gall to flaunt

But here I am

Happy enough with you

and I'm still strong

and free in all I do

But a piece of me is waiting

I hope you won't yell

I don't fight for the spotlight

but I can't tell

the difference between winning

and losing any more

I want your help

keeping the score

Tell me I'm pretty

and tell me I'm right

not 'cause I need you

not 'cause I fight

But because you love me

and that's all there really is

I love you too

I promise


End file.
